The George and Dragon, Foulness Island

Image: © Stephen McKay Taken: Unknown

It would be possible to draw up a list of pubs in Great Britain that require some effort to visit. Such a list might include the Marisco Tavern on Lundy, the Applecross Inn in the Scottish Highlands, and the Ty Coch Inn at Porthdinllaen - but (until its closure in 2007) the George and Dragon at Churchend on Foulness Island was perhaps the most bizarre. Intending customers who were not resident on the island had to contact the landlord 24 hours in advance giving their names and vehicle details. On arrival at the island, they would be stopped at a checkpoint and issued with pre-printed passes, complete with lanyards, and directed to drive straight to the pub without stopping - and to return the same way at the end of their visit. At the pub the landlord would check the credentials before serving drinks. The reason for all this palaver lay in the fact that the island was (and still is) owned by the Ministry of Defence and managed by defence contractors Qinetiq for testing munitions. Whether it made any real contribution to security is probably debatable but it certainly made life difficult for the publican.

Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0